Jacky’s Appy - Appendectomy Fund

Jackson had been feeling ill for a few days when he began complaining of pain in his lower right abdomen. After a trip to the ER, appendicitis was confirmed. He was transferred to another hospital for surgery, which was performed without complication. The poor boy also has the flu, so his recovery is going to be slower, which means mom has to miss work and she only has one sick day left this year. 

Imagine you are a single mother, you are a teacher in Arizona working at a title 1 school. You spend your own money on your students, buying them shoes and clothes because their parents can’t. Imagine your pay is barely enough for you to afford medical insurance for yourself, but not for your kids because the school district you work for triples the premiums for families. Your pay is ironically too high to qualify for KidsCare (Az’s CHiP program). So your kids don’t have medical insurance and you walk around everyday praying nothing happens to them. Imagine you have mountains of student loan debt looming over you that you know you’ll never be able to pay off. Now imagine your son has appendicitis and must have surgery. Think what it must feel like to know your son needs medical care and you have no means to pay for it. What it feels like to watch your son in pain and have to worry about if you can find a substitute teacher for your fifth grade class. Imagine having to worry about not getting paid while you are caring for him because you’ve already exhausted your sick days this year because you’ve already missed work when the kids were sick and because you’ve had a series of appointments for a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease. Imagine you have insurance for yourself and still can’t afford the co-pays and deductibles for your own care. 

It’s an utter travesty that any person would be in this situation, much less a loving teacher. But here we are. 

If you can find it in your heart and wallet to donate a little to Amy and Jackson, I know she’d appreciate it beyond words. 

Donations will replace lost income, and possibly defray any out-of-pocket costs she ends up with after applying for financial assistance at the two hospitals where Jackson received treatment. 

If you can’t contribute, please share.